A Breach of Trust
by Iceache
Summary: Following the events of The Last Death of Henry Morgan, Jo finds Henry dying in the subway station. Following his death, she turns to Abe for comfort, but Abe can't convince Henry to come clean and tell Jo the truth.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHORS NOTE**

 **So I watched The Last Death of Henry Morgan and an alternate ending popped into my head. What if Jo did see him die and believed him to be dead and buried, what if Henry refused to let her know his secret, he would need to disappear. This is a look at what happens to those left behind. This chapter will only look at the aftermath and not what happened that day, a flashback will occur in the next chapter if people think I should continue with it.**

Abe set the plate in front of Jo causing her to smile up at him gratefully before taking his place across from her.

'Thank you, it smells and looks amazing Abe.'

'Well tuck in then, don't let it get cold.' Abe gestured to her plate whilst piling his own fork high with Carbonara. Mimicking his actions and taking a bite, Jo moaned in appreciation. Abe raised an eyebrow watching her quietly, he'd taken her under his wing these past months. She'd taken Henry's death particularly hard, given that she had lost her own husband only two years ago, and then with Henry's demise, she'd lost it somewhat. Ordered to take time off, she had been adrift, and it had taken Abe to bring her back in.

He'd admittedly grown fond of the young woman, not having children of his own, he found himself developing paternal feelings towards her. Since Henry's death, they had developed a routine, each and every Friday night, rather than hitting the bars as was her usual wont, she would find herself at Abe's table, finding solace in the last link to Henry that she had. But the loyalty that Abe had for his father would wane in the face of Jo's sorrow, and a resentment was building between the two men, Abe's insistence that Henry should come clean and put the woman out of her misery clashed with Henry's adamant assertions that she wouldn't understand.

Jo cocked an eyebrow, a small smile playing at the edge of her lips. 'Abe?' He had the grace to blush at being caught staring at her, his eyes somewhere far away.

'Sorry Jo. Just thinking…'

Her face fell. 'About Henry?'

Abe gave her a lopsided grin and shrugged his shoulders. 'Yeah, about Henry.'

He silently cursed himself as he watched her interest in her food disappear, her fork instead twisting the pasta absently on her plate. Abe reached across the table, grabbing the wine and pouring her a glass. She nodded in thanks.

'I miss him, Abe.'

'I know kid.' He took a sip of his wine. 'It'll get easier.'

She sighed and pushed her plate away, taking up her glass. He pushed himself from the table scooping up the unfinished plates and taking them into the kitchen. Jo pushed from the table and made her way to the balcony, feeling Abe's presence behind her. She squinted out into the darkness.

'You okay?'

'I will be…. It just feels like, it feels like everyone is going to leave me. I had just started to… and then this happened.'

'Just started to what, Kid?'

He was leaning on the railing beside her now, his eyes absently trailing the street below. She looked at him, causing him to meet her eyes and the pain he saw there tugged at his heart.

'Just starting to feel I guess… after Sean, I never thought… well, I suppose it doesn't matter now.'

Abe slid an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. 'It's okay. I know.' Jo rested her head against his shoulder, grateful for the support. Abe's jaw twitched, his anger at his father rising again. He had to fix this, but he just didn't know how.

In the alley, facing the antiques store, Henry stood in the shadows. He watched the scene on the balcony, heart pained by what he saw. He would have given anything to be there with them, his arm around her shoulders, her head resting above his heart. Adam had ended any hopes of that, Adam had taken away the most important person in his life aside from his son, and that could never be forgiven. Now he was left to watch from the shadows, to take comfort that she was well from the few minutes that he could spy on her every Friday evening. This was the only thing he had to look forward to these days, and so he would return to this very spot, every week in hope of a fleeting glance.

Startled he watched her eyes peer in his direction, a frown on her face, for a moment he thought that she could see him but then Abe was whispering something to her and they both retreated into the warmth of the apartment.

It was an hour later before Jo left, Abe seeing her into a cab and waving her off. The old man watched the cab disappear into the distance, his hands stuffed into his pockets. He watched Henry appear from the shadows and shook his head in disapproval before disappearing into the store. Henry grimaced and followed him inside, knowing exactly how the conversation would start and finish.

Locking the door behind him, Henry followed Abe upstairs. The old man was standing at the sink, washing the dishes from dinner. Henry loosened his scarf and shrugged out of his coat, dropping them both onto the chair.

'Jo stayed later than usual.' Abe didn't answer. 'Come on Abe, I haven't seen you all week, please let's not argue again.'

'Who's arguing?'

Henry approached him in the kitchen, putting a hand on his son's shoulder, Abe stopped what he was doing. 'Please Abe.'

Abe sighed and turned to face his father, grabbing a towel from the counter he dried his hands before dropping his eyes. 'I can't do this anymore Henry. I can't lie to her like this.'

'Abraham, we have discussed this. She wouldn't understand.'

'She doesn't understand the situation now Pops. She's hurting. But then, you know that, since I tell you every week.'

Henry sighed tiredly. He was tired of this conversation, tired of not having his life any longer. In the past, in similar situations he and Abe would pack up and start a life somewhere new. It had surprised Henry to no end however when Abe had refused to follow their usual pattern. He supposed that he had underestimated Abe's feelings for the detective.

'Come with me Abe, let's go somewhere new, somewhere, anywhere but here.'

Abraham's face hardened and he crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. 'Absolutely not. Nothing is stopping you from starting over Pops, but I am staying here.'

'Nothing is stopping you either Abe.'

'I won't abandon her Henry. I'm all she has here.'

'You're all I have!' Henry was desperate for his son to understand.

'Through your own doing Henry, your own fear and insecurities…' He held up his hand to stop Henry from interrupting. 'I realise that those fears are not unfounded, but you give her too little credit, she would have believed you… she loved you.'

Henry's dark eyes met his son's. They were at loggerheads. Again. Henry shook his head minutely. 'Jo wasn't in love with me Abe. She didn't even know me.'

He turned and headed back to the lounge, pouring Cognac from the decanter, he shuffled to the sofa and took a deep drink before settling into the cushions and closing his eyes. Abe followed soon after, a glass of red wine in his hand. Sitting across from his father he concentrated a concerned gaze on him.

'You were falling in love with her.'

Henry opened his eyes and regarded the older man, he tilted his head in acknowledgment. 'My feelings for Jo Martinez are neither here nor there. This is the situation, and I wish that you would respect that.' His voice was terse, he would brook no argument. 'I am happy that she has found some comfort in you Abe, but what is done is done.'

'She doesn't take comfort from me Henry, she is trying to find a way to be close to you!' Abe suddenly angry, angry at the unfairness of the situation, at his father's stubbornness pushed himself from the chair. He took a quick drink from his glass and placed it on the side table. 'I won't lie to her anymore for you. If you really want to be dead to her, then I suggest that you stop coming around here. That way it'll be easier for me to pretend and maybe even believe that you are dead.'

Henry was stung, his eyes widened and he pushed himself to his feet. 'Abraham..'

'Goodnight Henry. I hope that you manage to trust someone in your new life.' Abe's face betrayed his heartache at uttering those words, but he was determined. Henry reached out a hand to him but Abe turned from him and disappeared down the hall to his bedroom.

Henry was frozen, his outstretched hand trembling with the weight of what had just happened. Pulling that hand in he rubbed his face and sighed heavily, falling back onto the sofa dejectedly. Abe had never reacted this way before, he'd always happily followed Henry, defended his secret fiercely. He'd underestimated his son's desire for family, for a home. God knows he was struggling with his separation from Abe and Jo, more than he could ever admit to his son. He'd find himself wandering down her street in the middle of the night, stopping outside her apartment and reminiscing about their time together, her smile, her eyes, her passionate sense of right and wrong. But what he missed most were the things that she would never dream he would notice, the way that she smelled in the morning, after her shower, the way that her eyes would hold his for just a few seconds longer than was appropriate, the changing brown hue of her eyes when she smiled or laughed at him, or with him.

He'd never thought he could feel this way about anyone, when Abigail left she had created a hole that he was certain could never be filled, but somehow Jo Martinez had wormed her way in, filling in the blank spaces without him even noticing.

Yes, he had been falling in love with her, and it was exactly why he could never pursue her. He knew the pain that she felt on losing Sean, how could he expose her to potentially losing him over and over again.. he couldn't.

Pushing himself up from the sofa, grabbing his coat and his scarf he shrugged them on and made his way out of the building, taking one last look around the place he had finally started to feel was a home.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

A month later and it was Friday again, she looked forward to her night with Abe. Being there, in the apartment that he once shared with Henry made her feel closer to the Medical Examiner, the lounge still smelled like him, it still felt like he could walk into the room at any moment. It felt like he wasn't really gone. All ridiculous to think she knew, but it didn't prevent her taking comfort from it.

She stepped out of the cab, it had become an unspoken agreement that she would take a cab to and from the store since there was always plenty of wine with dinner. The cab pulled away and she turned slowly to face the alley behind her, her head cocked to one side. She could almost feel someone watching her, someone in the shadows. Shaking her head, she put it down to paranoia rang the bell. Abe appeared a couple of seconds later to let her in, pulling her into an embrace and relieving her of the bottle of Merlot that she had brought with her. Before she allowed herself to be ushered through the door, her eyes fell back on the alley. With a shake of her head she smiled at Abe and led the way upstairs while he locked up behind her.

Dinner was, as usual, delicious. Jo wasn't a keen cook and the remainder of her week relied on take out and leftovers. She felt taken care of when she visited Abe. Her reaction to Sean's death was completely different to how she reacted when she lost Henry. After Sean she would place herself in dangerous, often promiscuous situations, trying to make herself feel something, anything. When she lost Henry, she wanted to find a way to connect with him. It had been a few weeks after his death that she had found herself on Abe's doorstep, blazing drunk and sobbing. He'd taken her in, given her tea and one of Henry's tee shirts and pyjama bottoms and led her to Henry's room. He'd tucked her into his flatmate's bed, placed a kiss on her forehead and closed the door behind him. Despite the haze of alcohol, she'd been enveloped in his scent, it felt like he was holding her while she drifted off to sleep.

Ever since that night, she'd show up on a Friday, she and Abe would eat, talk about Henry sometimes about Sean, and they'd share their loss and memories. It was comforting, to have a connection to Henry.

They had spent the remainder of the evening talking about a case that Jo had just closed, but Jo could tell that Abe's heart wasn't in it. She reached across the sofa and squeezed his hand gently. 'Abe?'

He covered her hand with his own. 'I'm sorry Jo. I'm not very good company this evening.'

'You're always good company. Maybe I should go and let you get some rest.'

'No Kid, I was just thinking that's all.' He waggled his finger at her 'I found something, and I thought you might want it..' He pushed himself from the sofa and disappeared into Henry's room. Returning a few minutes later he handed her a small picture frame, she frowned at him in confusion. The frame was clearly antique, silver with intricate etchings. Turning it around she saw that it contained a picture of her and Henry. She was completely dumbfounded. He smiled at her gently.

'I don't understand, I don't remember this being taken.'

Abe shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. 'I took it… you and Henry were walking towards the store, you didn't see me, but I had just been testing an old film camera. It was taken really quickly, I didn't imagine it would turn out great.'

She ran her fingers lightly over the glass, over Henry's face. They were laughing at something, Henry's arm slung casually around her shoulders, her leaning slightly into his body.

'It was Henry's room?'

'Yeah, I had it developed and showed it to him. He fell in love with it, asked if he could keep it…. I found it in his desk downstairs.'

She placed the frame on the table and reached across to pull Abe into a hug. 'Thank you.. I love it.'

Abe placed a kiss against her forehead and released her. 'Don't mention it. He cared for you, you know. I know he never said it much, but I knew him. He really did care.'

Jo took in a shaky breath and forced a smile. 'I cared about him too.'

'I know you did.'

A couple of hours later, a yawn from Jo had them both agreeing that she should head home. In line with their routine, Abe waved her off, waiting until the cab was out of sight before going indoors and locking up. When he walked into the lounge he was shocked to see Henry sitting on the sofa, the frame in his hand, staring at the photograph.

'Where did you find this?'

Abe ignored him. Though inwardly happy to see his old friend, he hadn't changed his mind or thoughts on their situation. 'What are you doing here?'

'I miss you Abe.' Henry's eyes were sad. They returned to the picture in front of him, tracing Jo's smile. 'I miss you both.'

'You could have prevented this entire mess if you had just been honest with her.' Abe sat next to Henry on the sofa. 'I found it in the den. I gave it to Jo tonight, she must have forgotten it.'

Henry nodded, his face marred by sadness and regret. 'She really is a beautiful woman isn't she?'

'Inside and out, Pops.'

Looking up at him, Henry offered a sad smile. 'You haven't changed your mind, have you?'

Abe shook his head slowly. 'Neither have you.'

'No' Henry conceded. He stood up nodding, taking one last look at the picture before returning it to the table. Walking over to his son, he pulled the old man into a hug, his eyes welling with unshed tears. 'I will miss you Abe, terribly. But no matter where I am, no matter where you are, I will always love and be proud of you.'

Abe fought his own tears. 'You too Pops.'

They clapped one another's backs before releasing the other from their hold. Abe nodded to the stairs. 'I'll walk you out Dad.'

'Thank you Son.'

The two men descended the stairs in silence, both sets of eyes trained on the floor. By the time they thought to raise them as they approached the door, they were too late, because there standing with a hand poised to press the bell was a very shocked and confused looking Jo Martinez. Eyes widened in disbelief, mouth slack.

Henry stopped short, Abe almost colliding with the younger man's back. Henry paled, his heart beating wildly in his chest as he held her gaze. Stepping around him, Abe unlocked the door and stepped aside to let the Detective in.

 **AUTHORS NOTE**

 **Hmmm… I'm not really sure what to think about this. I just saw an alternate ending to the finale and had to pen it down. Let me know what you think, continue? Don't continue? Nervously awaiting your comments.**


	2. A Blast from the Past

Time seemed to stand still, the air electrically charged as Jo stood on the other side of the threshold, neither of them daring to move first. Nervously, Henry touched his tongue to his lips, the motion seemed to clear the fog from Jo's brain and she cast her eyes to Abe.

'You lied to me.' There was no anger in her words, they were whispered so quietly that Abe wasn't sure she had even uttered them. But no matter how quiet, how calm they were whispered he felt the full weight behind them.

'Jo.' Abe tried to reach her but she stepped back, further from the door, a hand held up to prevent him furthering towards her.

Abe shut his eyes tightly as he witnessed the tears well up in her beautiful brown eyes. He turned to look at Henry, who stood with the same expression on his face that he'd had since being caught. Frozen in time. Jo was staring at him again, their eyes silently communicating, it wasn't until Jo broke that contact, until she looked to the ground and turned on her heel that Henry actually moved.

'Please Jo.. wait.' She stopped, her back still to him, shoulders slumped. 'I can explain.' He noted her head turn to the side infinitesimally, then her shoulders tensed and she began her walk away from the store again, not looking back, not faltering.

Abe closed the door and his eyes met Henry's. The anger rolled off of him and Henry visibly shrunk in his son's presence. Abe didn't speak, he didn't have the words to express his anger with his father. He'd been made out as the liar that he was, hiding the secret was bad enough, being found out was unbearable.

Abe stalked to the back of the store and upstairs, but Henry remained, staring at the back of the detective stalking away from him until she could no longer be seen in the darkness of the night.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jo didn't remember how she got home, but she was sitting on her bed, legs crossed shoes and coat discarded on the floor beside her. What had happened this evening? She couldn't fathom what her eyes had seen.

After travelling two blocks in her cab, she'd remembered the frame. Not wanting to wait a full week before she could see Henry's face again, his smile, she had told the cab driver to stop, paid the fare and then walked back to the store to pick it up. It would appear that she didn't have to wait that week until she saw the face of Henry Morgan again, because there in front of her, stood the deceased himself.

She shook her head and settled herself back against the pillows. Tears spilled from her eyes and ran down her cheek, she should be relieved, happy that her friend was alive. But instead she felt bitterly betrayed, confused, angered.

Why would Abe and Henry lead her to believe he was dead? Was it money problems? Was he in danger? She didn't know… but it was no excuse for what they had done to her. None of it made sense really, she'd seen Henry die… hadn't she?

Her mind drifted back to the last time she saw Henry Morgan.

Hearing the shot in the disused tunnels, Jo had quickly made her way underground and long the platform. What she saw had haunted her dreams since that night. Henry was on the floor, on his back. Blood spilling from his chest, his eyes wide, mouth filled with blood. She'd been at his side in seconds, her hands furiously ripping open his shirt to reveal the wound, a wound much larger than any bullet wound she had seen before. Clamping her hands down on his chest to staunch the flow she had begged him not to leave her, her tears spilling onto his face and down his cheeks. He'd only managed to whisper that he was sorry before his eyes rolled back in his head. She'd known that she needed to get help, so she'd pushed herself to her feet and run as quickly as her legs would carry her to the stairs, her feet felt like lead and she'd stumbled clumsily as she pulled herself up them and onto the platform above. The only occupant of the platform was a maintenance man and he'd looked at her in alarm when she screamed at him to call 911, she imagined that it was the blood on her clothing and hands that had forced him into action. When she returned to the platform below to sit with her partner, his body was gone.

Not even the best forensics team could identify any blood on the platform, Henry was gone, his body gone. A search was carried out, but it was fruitless, naturally. She'd broken down at work the next day, and the lieutenant signed her off for a couple of weeks until she was able to get herself together. Hanson tried to get through to her, but the only person that had managed to bring her back was Abe.

Abe.. he'd been so understanding, she felt that he knew exactly how she was feeling, that they were sharing a profound grief. Clearly she was wrong, he had lied to her, they both had lied to her. The anger that she would normally feel bubbling up in her chest, doesn't come. Instead she is overcome with exhaustion. The anger could wait until tomorrow, the shock of this evening's revelations had taken it out of her and so with a sigh she curled onto her side and closed her eyes, drifting into a deep sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Henry picked up the tee shirt from the end of his bed, holding it to his nose, his suspicions were confirmed. Jo had worn it. Most likely during one of the occasions that she had stayed with Abe following his 'death'. He closed his eyes and held the soft material against his cheek. Sighing, he undressed carefully, folding the clothes as he went and placing them on the wingback in the corner before pulling the shirt over his head and a fresh pair of bottoms from the dresser.

Sliding into the bed he was grateful to Abe for not washing the sheets, he was enveloped in her scent and it was so comforting. He allowed himself to slip into a deeper sleep than he'd allowed himself to since his 'death'. The morning would bring a whole new set of challenges, and he'd better get the rest in now.

Pouring coffee into her mug, Jo accidentally spilled some onto her hand and cursed out loud, grabbing a towel as the doorbell sounded. She stopped dead, logically she knew who would be on the other side, one of two people actually, and part of her was too afraid to go and see which it was. The other part of her, her curious and investigative nature, knew that she needed to open the door and find out the truth once and for all.

She rubbed at her hand and dropped the towel, making her way to the door. Before she reached it, she could clearly tell from the outline of the figure through the blinds that it was Henry. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly she opened the door. Their eyes met, each wearing an unreadable mask, neither wishing to reveal their emotions as she stepped aside and allowed him entrance to her home.

She indicated with her hand that he should wait in the lounge, she ventured back into the kitchen and poured a cup of tea without giving it any thought and returned to the lounge with both her mug and his cup. He raised an eyebrow when she handed him his drink, clearly not expecting any hospitality from her, especially given the circumstances. Whatever she was feeling right now, he was finding her emotions impossible to read. Lowering herself into a chair and sweeping her legs up under herself she cradled the hot mug in her hands.

He didn't seem ready to make the first move and so the silence in the room stretched before them. He took the opportunity to take him in, reassuring herself that he really was alive and well, dressed in a plain blue shirt and jeans, a casual jacket that she'd never seen before draped over the arm of her chair. He looked well, he looked alive. Alive.. the word suddenly left a bitter taste in her mouth. Alive and deceitful. Bastard.

Henry took a sip of the tea and placed it onto the saucer before setting both onto the table. He clasped his hands in front of him, his elbows rested on his knees and dared to glance at her for a moment before returning his eyes to stare at the table.

'I suppose that you want an explanation Jo.'

'You could say that.'

'Firstly, you must allow me to apologise, hurting you was the last thing that I wanted to do. I know that I have caused you unnecessary pain, that I have lied to you…'

'No Henry, you don't. You don't know what the hell you put me through, because you weren't here! Part of me doesn't want to ever see you again, you nor Abe. But the other part of me, the part of me that trusted you, the part of me that was your friend wants to believe that you had a reason… something unbelievably important that you would lie to me like this. That you would use Abe to lie to me like this!' Her voice was rising, both in volume and pitch and her hands starting to shake. She set the mug down and folded her arms, defensively, comforting herself.

He hung his head in shame. 'What I have to say, it will sound absurd, incredible, you _will_ doubt me Jo.'

'You've given me no reason whatsoever to do otherwise though have you Henry.'

'You're right. I haven't. I have held something back from you, something that I know I should have told you, and by the time I resolved myself to telling you… it was too late, I was shot and I couldn't see a way out of it, to explain it to you. You thought that you had lost me, and I thought it was easier to allow you to believe that you had.' He glanced at her, waiting to see how she was taking his conversation so far, her mouth was set in a thin line, anger radiating off of her. 'It's a long story, but you deserve to hear it. Once I have told you my history, anything that follows is up to you.'

He took a deep breath and recounted his past. Not once did he dare to look up and meet her eyes. When he started to discuss how he met Abe's mother, she got up from her chair and started to pace, finally settling to stare out of the window. By the time he had finished his tale her shoulders had sagged, her stance entirely worn.

'You expect me to believe this Henry?'

Henry rested back on the sofa and laid his head back closing his eyes and clasping his hands behind his head. 'I don't expect anything of you Jo. You deserved the truth, I have given you it.'

'That you're immortal? That's the truth? Not that you are insane, not that you have a pathological urge to lie to those around you? The truth is that you cannot die and are over 200 years old?'

'Yes, that is the truth of it.'

His palms were sweating, he could feel it seeping into his hair and scalp. It hadn't mattered in such a long time to him that someone hear the truth, that it be accepted. She turned from the window, regarding him from her spot there, feeling her eyes on him he opened his own and met hers.

'Why now?'

'Why now? I don't understand.'

'You've supposedly been dead for six months, why have you just suddenly returned?'

He pulled his eyes away from her, the guilt written all over his face. Her mouth formed a silent O and she nodded to herself. 'You haven't just returned. You have been coming back to see Abe.'

'Not just Abe. You too Jo.'

This seemed to anger her more, her jaw clenched and she could feel the urge to be sick rising in her stomach.

'Henry?'

He looked up at her, his eyes hopeful. 'Yes?'

'Get out. Out of my home, out of my life.'

'Jo…'

'What you did, what you put me through is unforgivable.' Tears were pouring from her eyes now. 'I have wished over these past months to see your face just one more time, to have one last conversation with you, and now, now I don't even want to look at you. You can't just tell me what happened… you're still lying to me. I want you to leave.'

Letting out a deep sigh, Henry nodded and picked up his jacket. Unable to watch him leave, Jo turned back to the window, hugging herself against the chill that she felt inside. He took one long last look at her, at the woman that he now knew he loved and headed out of the room. She flinched when she heard the door close behind him, watched him descend the steps of her apartment building and walk away with only one glance back at the window where she stood.

Folding her arms over her stomach, she allowed the tears to fall freely, quickly turning to sobs. Making her way over to the sofa where he'd sat she noticed the silver gilted frame on the arm of the chair, the picture that she had left behind at the antiques store last night. Picking it up and turning it over, she noted that another picture was attached to the front of it, an old yellowed portrait of a man bearing a remarkable, no… uncanny, resemblance to Henry, turning it over she read the inscription. _Henry Morgan, London, 1912_.

It was impossible, far fetched, ridiculous to believe such a story. The way in which his voice trembled when he told her it though, it had made her want to believe him. But she couldn't. She didn't know what had happened that day in the station, but her logic was telling her that it couldn't have been what he had suggested. It was more likely that Henry Morgan was a desperate man, running away from something in his past, be it a scandal or a crime, and that this ludicrous tale was his attempt to cover it up.

Whatever he was hiding from, he was clearly petrified by it. She would find out though, she had contacts. It was time to find out who the real Henry Morgan was once and for all.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 **AUTHORS NOTE**

 **Thank you for the reviews everyone. I've only just found out that Forever has been dropped and I am so sad. I thought that the actors were really just starting to get into their characters and that the second season would have been so much better than the first. I'll continue this story, there are another 4/5 chapters to go really I think, but as always, let me know what you think.**


	3. Making Amends

A full week passed before Jo saw either of the Morgan men again. She'd put a lot of effort into ignoring their calls and not answering her door when she was certain it would be one of them on the other side.

Earlier in the week, when drawing her bedroom curtains for the night, she could have sworn she saw Henry standing on the other side of the street, watching, waiting. She refused however to give him the satisfaction of opening the fabric again to check. Her dining room table was littered with newspaper clippings, internet print outs and old directories. Empty take out boxes strewn around the apartment, unopened fortune cookies collecting in a bowl on the coffee table. Outside of work, she had time for little else. Finding out the truth behind Henry Morgan was all she was interested in. It had taken a lot of calls, used up most of her outstanding favours, had even involved a call to her former love interest Isaac to build the picture that she had now, but she was finally satisfied if not entirely surprised with her findings.

In short, Henry Morgan, for all intents and purposes, appeared to be just what he claimed to be. A doctor, a father, a widower… and an immortal.

She leaned back in her chair, running her hands through her hair. Immortal. In one week her entire belief system had been overturned, Jo wasn't a religious person, even after Sean's death, she refused to believe in an afterlife, a God. Though Henry's condition wasn't even remotely religious in context, he had still managed to entirely shift her world of logic and reasoning.

This realisation didn't make her any less resentful, any less hurt by his actions. But it did help her to understand them a little more than she had before. A knock at the door had her sighing in frustration, she didn't need to get up from her seat to be certain that a Morgan was on the other side.

'Jo, it's me Kid. Open up.' She pursed her lips, blowing out a slow breath before pushing herself up from the chair and slowly moving to the door. 'Come on Jo. You can't stay mad at us forever.'

The door swung open startling Abe, clearly he hadn't been expecting her to answer. She could hardly blame him, he and Henry had been playing a game of tag, coming to her door each evening to attempt to get her to open up and let them in. The past couple of nights however, only Abe had come.

'I wouldn't take that bet Abe.'

'Can I come in?' She swung her arm to allow him past. 'Thank you.' The old man made his way into the lounge and took in the chaos around him. 'Um, you redecorating?' He met her gaze and saw that she was clearly in no mood for humour. 'Okay, okay. I just… Henry and I, we just wanted to make sure that you were okay.'

She crossed her arms. 'I'm fine.'

He nodded and smiled. 'Good. Henry's not… if you're interested.' She shrugged noncommittally and leaned against the jamb of the door. Abe gestured to the dining room table. 'May I?'

'Be my guest.'

Abe began to sift through the paperwork and research that Jo had compiled on Henry. 'The internet is a dangerous thing huh? I can't believe that you were able to find all of this.'

'It took some digging. You'd have to know what you were looking for to be able to connect the pieces.'

'And what have you concluded?'

Her mask slipped then, fear and uncertainty flickering in her eyes. 'That, somehow, Henry is much older than 35.'

'Yeah… he is.'

Abe walked over to the sofa and settled down, ready to answer anything that Jo wanted to know. She sighed and followed him, sitting across from him, her bare feet tucked up under her.

'You're his son?'

'Yeah. I know it's hard to believe, luckily as a kid I found it much easier to get my head around. He was my dad, and that was that.'

'Why did he lie to me Abe? Why did you lie?' She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms. 'I thought that you and I, we shared a pain.. a grief.'

'I hated lying to you, but he's my father and though I don't always agree with him, it's not my story to tell. He wanted to tell you, I could see it in his eyes, but he was scared.'

'Of what?'

He gestured to the table. 'Of this… of you not believing him. Only four people have ever known his secret, me, my mother, his first wife Nora… and now you. He has only ever shared this with people that he loves dearly.' She drew in a shaky breath. 'He's miserable, lonely. It had been thirty years since my mom left him, until he met you. You changed him Jo. You made him hope again. But he's never learned to let go of the fear of rejection.'

'He should have trusted me.'

'Damn right he should have.'

'And you shouldn't have lied to me.' Her voice held an accusatory tone and he ducked his head.

'Something I will never forgive myself for.' She nodded and began to pick at the nail on one of her fingers. 'So now what?'

'I don't know Abe. My colleagues, Henry's colleagues think he is dead.'

'No body was ever found…'

She looked up at him then, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. 'I don't know if I am ready to think about that yet Abe, there's still so much to say… I just…'

Abe leaned forward and placed a gentle hand on her arm, stilling her movements. 'You're right. But you can't go on like this, neither of you. You're both working so hard to ignore this thing that's going on between you, that you are making yourselves miserable in the process.'

'What thing?'

'Embrace it Jo. You and Henry, you've been given a second chance. I've thanked God each and every night since you came back to the store that you showed up when you did. You both deserve to be happy.'

She placed a hand atop Abe's and rubbed his wrinkled skin gently. 'I don't think I'm ready for that Abe, not now. I felt that things were moving in that direction before… but this… this has changed things.'

'You say that, but the heart wants what the heart wants Kid. You don't think he was coming back to the store each and every Friday night to visit me do you?'

She smiled gently, the fear and uncertainty returning to her brown eyes. Abe pushed himself up from the sofa. 'Why don't you get some sleep? But if you can't.. Henry has become a bit of a night owl, I'm sure he'd enjoy the company.'

Before she could protest, Abe pressed a tender kiss to her hairline and exited the room, and the apartment. She closed her eyes and tried not to dwell on the churning sensation in her stomach when she thought about being alone with Henry Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx

Henry lay in the darkness of his bedroom, sleep wasn't a friend as of late but he enjoyed the stillness of the room, it was a way to avoid Abe's knowing glances. He'd realised, too late of course, that there were worse things in the world than his secret being found out, he'd lost the only woman who had managed to fill the void in his heart because of his fear. True, she hadn't believed him, but he believed now that she might have tried to.

He sighed and draped an arm across his face, praying that tonight sleep might show him some mercy. He heard the door creak as it opened, soft light spilling into the room. Not removing his arm he let out an exasperated sigh. 'Abe truly, I am in no mood tonight.'

Abe didn't respond. Instead he heard the door close. With a self-satisfied smirk he hummed in appreciation, but when the side of his bed closest to him dipped he frowned. Peeling the arm from his eyes he looked up 'Abe..I…' In the darkness of his room, the intruder looked remarkably like Jo Martinez and he had to blink twice to reassure himself that he wasn't dreaming. 'Jo..'

She met his eyes briefly before letting them fall back to her hands. He scrambled quickly into a half sitting position. 'I'm not dreaming am I?'

'Dream about me often Henry?' There was a smile in her voice.

'More often than appropriate, I assure you.' She blinked, surprised at his answer and met his eyes. Even in the darkness, with the moonlight glistening between them she could see his eyes, and she suspected, he hers. Sensing the tension, he cleared his throat. 'Why did you come Jo?'

She sighed, heavily. 'I don't know. I should be angry at you, more angry than I am.'

'You certainly _were_ angry at me.'

'Yes, and I won't lie and say that the feeling has entirely disappeared…'

'But?'

'But… as crazy a story as it is, as unbelievable a story as it is.. I know you were telling me the truth.'

His eyes began to glisten in the moonlight, a small unsure smile crept onto his face. He found her hand in the darkness and clasped it gently causing her to release a shaky breath. 'Thank you Jo. You have no idea what those words mean to me.' She nodded and he frowned raising their joined hands for inspection. 'You're trembling.'

She withdrew her hand from his. She wasn't ready for this, physical contact was too much. A week ago she believed Henry to be dead, and now here she was sitting in his bedroom, on his bed, trembling of all things. She pushed herself up from his bed, willing herself to hold it together.

'Jo?'

'Tomorrow Henry, tomorrow.'

He nodded in understanding. Tomorrow was the weekend after all, they'd have plenty of time to discuss this, the future. Whatever that future might now be.

He watched her move to the door, and before she was out of it she turned to look at him one last time, almost convincing herself that he was still there. Their eyes held for a moment before she exited and closed the door behind her. In his bed, Henry let out a long sigh, tomorrow.. he wasn't sure he'd ever been so hopeful for a tomorrow. Sliding back down under the covers he closed his eyes and prepared himself for a much needed sleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Henry whistled cheerily the next morning, pouring a cup of coffee for Abe and a tea for himself, Abe allowed the corner of his newspaper to sag and lifted a brow. 'Henry?'

'Yes Abe?'

'You're whistling Pops.'

'Am I?' Henry grinned.

'I assume that you and Jo came to some kind of understanding?'

Henry's smile faltered and he suddenly looked serious. 'No, we didn't. But she doesn't think me a loon any longer, and that's a step forward isn't it?' Abe nodded. 'She's wary of me, I can tell that much, and this is a long way from being fixed. But I have hope.'

Abe smiled, he hoped that the damage wrought by his and Henry's deception wasn't so serious that this couldn't be fixed. So far as the rest of the world was concerned, Henry was dead, that would be no small feat to overcome, but Henry's priority was Jo, the rest of the world could hang. That attitude however didn't explain how they were going to get themselves out of this one.

Henry had just finished clearing the breakfast plates when he heard Abe coming up the stairs from the store, he called out over his shoulder as he loaded the plates into the sink. 'Tea, Abe?'

'Um..'

Spinning on his heel he met Jo's eyes. She raised a hand up to greet him. 'Jo.' Her name poured from his lips like honey and it was almost impossible to prevent the small smile that graced her lips. He grabbed a towel from the counter and wiped his hands clean, not making any move toward her. 'Perhaps you would prefer a coffee?'

'Sure Henry.'

'Please, make yourself at home.. I'll be with you a minute, and we can talk.' He frowned suddenly. 'Where did Abe get to?'

'He made himself scarce.'

Henry pulled a face and nodded, but then turned from her to busy himself with making the tea and coffee. Shrugging off her jacket she moved to the sofa and sat down, Henry's scarf was hanging across the back of it and she couldn't help herself from fingering the material gently. The apartment had seemed to take on a new identity. When Henry had been missing, she had thought she could smell him on the furnishings in the apartment each time she visited, she realised now that she had been wrong. He was everywhere now, his aftershave, his shampoo and soap, he was invading her senses and she felt hyper sensitive to his proximity.

The man himself appeared from the kitchen and offered her a mug of coffee, after all this time he still remembered how she preferred it and it warmed her slightly. He took a seat beside her, and sat his teacup down on the table next to him. She could feel the tension radiating off of his body, he was uncomfortable and nervous, as a Detective she was well versed in body language, and Henry Morgan was scared. Of Her.

A few seconds of silence passed before he noticed the manila folder on the coffee table, he nodded to it. 'Another case?'

'No. It's research.'

'Ah. Research on the life of Henry Morgan I presume.'

'Yes.'

He took in a shaky breath and forced a smile. 'Did you find anything in there of any worth?'

She looked at him in surprise, his eyes finally meeting hers. 'Henry.. everything in that file is of worth. Everything in that file is important.'

He looked down at his hands. 'Not everything I'm sure.'

'Henry?' He looked up again and huis breath was taken away by the serious honest expression on her face. 'I don't like what you did to me, in fact, I hate it. You should have trusted me…. You COULD have trusted me.. but what's in that file… it makes sense to me. I understand in a way, why you felt that you couldn't tell me this secret. What I found, it's all important, because it made you the man that you are today… it made you my best friend. Without it, we'd never have met. And as angry as I am at you right now, the idea of never having met you is unthinkable.'

He had moved inches closer to her, their eyes holding, gaze unwavering. He could almost taste her breath on his tongue, until something broke the spell and she tore her eyes from his. He let out the breath that he hadn't realised he was holding, and it left him quickly. She was hurt, he'd done that to her.

'Thank you Jo. I know that it might not mean much now given my actions, my deceit, but I want you to know that the feeling is mutual.'

He offered her a sincere smile, it was a start. Time, that's what they needed. Time would fix his wrongs, he would be patient.

'So.' Her voice broke him from his musings and he frowned at the mischievous look on her face.

'So?'

'So… how are we going to explain your resurrection away?' She took a sip from her mug. 'There's a new ME.. Lucas, Hanson and Lieu all think that you are departed, how do we suddenly explain your reappearance?'

'In all honesty, I hadn't given it much thought.'

'Yes… I'm sensing a pattern here.' He grinned sheepishly and shrugged his shoulders in a most uncharacteristic Henry gesture. 'I have some ideas… we'll get past it. I'm not sure you'll be getting your job back anytime soon though.'

He shook his head. 'No I suppose not.' Picking up his tea he took a sip and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. 'There are more pressing matters than my employment right now, I would much rather put my efforts into that area of my life.'

If she understood his meaning she didn't let on. It would take time, but she was certain she could forgive him, was certain she was already halfway there. The bitterness and hurt that she felt as a result of his betrayal was overwhelmed by the warmth and fullness that she felt on having him back, within reach. She'd kick his ass if he ever tried to pull a stunt like this again, but given his lack of secrecy now she highly doubted it possible. There was something reassuring and comforting about the idea that Henry would always be around, just the thought made a smile tug at her lips. He cocked his head at her, smiling with a question in his eyes, but Jo sipped her coffee, not ready to let him back into her thoughts… not quite yet.

 **AUTHORS NOTE**

 **Thank you everyone for the kind reviews. I am really going to miss this show, holding out hope that someone signs it up. Keep reviewing, I'll try to keep you all satisfied.**


	4. That Old Magic

The atmosphere had relaxed significantly in the past half hour, but they were dancing around the real issues, neither sure who would take the first step. It didn't surprise her at all when she was the one to begin.

'Where did you go?' He looked up, his eyes warm but his expression hesitant. 'When you were _dead_ , where did you go?'

'Not far.'

'Not far Jersey? Not far Chicago?... Where?'

He sighed uncomfortably. 'I have a cabin, upstate. I lived there during the week, and then on the weekends…'

'You'd come and visit Abe.' She nodded.

'No, no. Abe, he truly begged me to tell you the truth, each and every time I came. I would wait for you to leave on a Friday evening, he'd tell me I was a fool..' She raised an eyebrow in agreement with Abe's character sketch. 'We'd argue. I'd stay the night, and then early the next morning I would return to the cabin so as not to be found out.' Catching her eye whilst leaning forward her breath caught at the serious expression on his face. 'Abe was right.. I was a fool Jo. But once I was in, I couldn't see a way out.'

'Yeah.'

'I watched you grieve. The pain that I had inflicted on you… I suppose that I didn't want you to know that it was all for nothing. I told myself that you wouldn't understand, that you were better off not knowing'

'That's the most ridiculous thing I have heard Henry, and trust me, you come out with more absurd speeches than the average person.' She looked at her hands, embarrassed. 'I did grieve for you, I was still grieving for you, for our friendship. Part of me still feels like I have lost you, doesn't believe that you are here right now. But not wanting to tell me the truth because you didn't want to waste the time I had spent mourning you? That's absurd.'

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. 'Yes, perhaps you are right. I did mention that I was a fool didn't I?'

She smiled gently. 'Yes, yes you did.' Fiddling with a loosened thread on her shirt Jo studiously avoided Henry's eyes. 'Did you think I wouldn't believe you?'

'Didn't you think you wouldn't?' It was an honest question, no malice behind it, but she felt the weight of it.

'I don't know. It's an extraordinary thing you are asking me to believe, but I know you, and I trust you Henry…. And despite the belief that you seriously need to work on your communication skills, I'm glad that I know.' Meeting his eyes she gave him a genuine grin and he couldn't help but return it.

'I am glad that you know.'

Abe chose this moment to re-enter the apartment. 'Is it safe?'

Henry and Jo maintained eye contact for a moment longer before Henry leaned back and smiled at his son. 'Yes Abe, Jo has chosen not to shoot me for now.'

'Though admittedly Henry, it's nice to know that if I DO ever get the urge to shoot you, that I can act on it without worrying too much about the repercussions.' Her teeth were like white pearls when she smiled at him and his breath hitched in his chest at her teasing. This was the first time in a long time that he had felt at home, and she was the reason for it, Jo and Abe.

Abe smiled and waggled a finger at them. 'She's teasing you Pops, we are on our way to absolution.'

Jo frowned at him in mock disapproval. 'I'm afraid Abe, that it might take a few home cooked meals before I forgive you completely.'

Abe walked over to the sofa, pulled her to her feet and enveloped her in a warm hug. 'I've missed you Kid.'

'Me too Abe.' Her response was whispered and emotional and she gripped him tightly.

From the sofa, Henry watched the two people he loved best, and smiled contentedly. Yes, this was home to him. Things were a long way from being right, but despite it all, he was certain that the past six months and the revelation of his secret was going to cement the bonds between the three of them.

Jo had excused herself a couple of hours later, Abe had surmised that she was a little overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the past week. He was correct of course. Henry had looked worried when she announced that she had some things she needed to do that afternoon, but sensing his discomfort she had placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and smiled. It had seemed to put the ME at ease and he had nodded, asking if they might see her for dinner. Declining with an apology she suggested that they meet for lunch the following day instead which both men had eagerly agreed to. With one last look at the immortal man, she had turned her back on them and descended into the shop, Abe at her back, to let her out. When he returned he had found Henry sitting where he had left him, his hands clasped over his eyes.

'You okay Pops?'

When he'd lowered his hands, Abe noted how tired and worn his father looked. 'I'm fine Abe. Just a little…'

'Exhausted?'

Henry gave him a lopsided grin. 'Yes, I suppose you might be right… I'm just a little exhausted.'

Rocking on the balls of his feet, with his hands in his pockets Abe had smiled. 'She's a good woman Dad.'

Henry had let his eyes flit to the stairs and then back to his son before nodding. 'Yes, yes she is Abe. And she deserves better.'

Abe had turned his back on Henry then and started towards the kitchen. 'Maybe, but that's not what she wants.'

He'd heard Henry's sigh as he crossed into the other room.

The evening dragged on and Jo idly wondered why she hadn't taken the Morgan men up on their offer of dinner. She itched to be near Henry again, just to assure herself that the past week hadn't been a dream. Where last night she had recoiled at his touch, tonight she simply wanted to feel him, his hand beneath hers or his breath on her face as he stood just that little bit too close. She'd analysed and categorised her feelings for him after his 'death'. It seemed funny now that her boldness had disappeared, a month ago she was certain that given another chance she would hold onto him, throw caution to the wind and take that leap into the unknown with him. But with him within arms reach now, her courage was failing her, still certain of her feelings she knew that doubt and hurt were clouding her judgement. It no longer seemed so easy to just express what she felt for him, it suddenly seemed like there were barriers preventing her from taking their friendship further.

She dropped her book onto the table, she hadn't managed to read more than two paragraphs in as many hours. Her wine glass was nearly empty and the clock on the mantle told her that it was at past a half decent hour to be making her way to bed. Picking up the glass, she gulped the last of the wine and kicked off the comforter, swinging her legs over the side of the sofa. She had just made her way to the kitchen when she heard the soft rap on the front door. It was dark outside and the glare from the hall light against the glass masked the visitor, but she had a good idea who it would be.

She deposited the glass on the counter and flicked off the light before slowly walking to answer the door, as she drew near she could see Henry on the other side, his smile apologetic. He was glancing up and down her street nervously, afraid to be seen she surmised.

Opening the door she quickly ushered him inside, it wouldn't do for someone who knew him to suddenly realise that he was alive and well and making social calls to Jo in the wee hours of the morning.

'Henry. What's wrong, is it Abe?'

He sighed as she closed the door behind him, pulling the blinds closed to shield him from any eyes outside. He shook his head and suddenly found his hands of some interest. 'I'm sorry Jo, I just… I suppose that I just wanted to make sure you were okay.'

'You risked coming here, being seen, to make sure I was okay? Why didn't you call?'

'I couldn't sleep, …needed the air.' He could only offer a shrug of his shoulders.

Jo pulled her cardigan tighter around herself to ward off the chill in the hall. 'Until we figure out a way to bring you back Henry, you can't be walking around New York.'

Looking slightly put out, he pouted slightly at her reprimand. 'I did take a cab Jo, I'm not completely indiscrete.'

She rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall, dropping her eyes to the floor. 'Why couldn't you sleep?'

She felt him shift closer to her, lifting her eyes she saw his darken, his tongue flickered out to touch his lips. 'I couldn't sleep because this…' he gestured between them. 'this is off, we are off balance in some way. I know that it's my fault, entirely, but I am worried that we can't get back to where we were..'

She could feel her heart beating rapidly, it seemed to make every part of her body pulse and she was certain he could hear it if he stepped any closer to her. 'Where were we Henry?'

His eyes were searching hers with such an intensity that it drew a blush to her cheeks, there was no mistaking what that dark look in his eyes was, he was communicating with her everything she needed to know at that moment. He was telling her silently that her desires were his desires, that he wanted more, just as much as she did.

'Can I touch you, Jo?'

'Wh..What?' She was confused by his request, what exactly was he asking of her, what was he asking her to give up to him?

Instead of answering her, with a head cocked to the side, he lifted his hand to her face. Laying his palm against her cheek, the soft almond flesh cupped in his hand, his long fingers curling around her neck she couldn't help but lean into his touch. He drew in and let out a long shaky breath and she felt her eyes close involuntarily. She brought one of her own hands to rest lightly atop his, holding that palm in place. She had been afraid of his touch, but seemingly craving it all at the same time, because she felt drugged, her head heavy in his palm.

When she felt him begin to withdraw his touch she clasped his hand in hers, some of that boldness returning to her. She opened her eyes to find him regarding her, his expression guarded. 'Stay with me Henry?' The shock registered on his features and she almost scowled at his presumption. 'To sleep. Nothing more.'

Smiling sheepishly, he allowed his thumb to caress her cheek. It was rough and warm and she could feel her lips parting of their own accord. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath. 'As much as I would love to Jo, it would be best if I didn't.' Ever the gentleman she mused.

She nodded in understanding, hoping that disappointment wasn't written all over her face. She turned her head slightly in palm, her lips grazing the skin of his wrist and smiled when she felt the pulse beneath his skin. Using the hand that held his to her face, she curled her fingers around it and brought it down between them. 'Then tomorrow?'

He smiled and nodded, the darkness in his eyes still present, his eyes flitting between her eyes and lips before giving her a shaky smile in agreement. 'Tomorrow.'

She walked him to the door and let him out, locking it behind her. Turning off the hallway light, she could make out his dark silhouette across the street, watching her. She smiled and turning her back to him, made her way to bed. Tomorrow, she thought.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

 **So next chapter, we will work on a plan to bring Henry back to life! Tune in!**


	5. Stepping Out

Jo was surprised when she left the apartment the next morning to see Abe waiting for her, his back resting against his car. He smiled and held up a hand, a gesture which she slowly returned, her face marred by confusion. She started to descend the stairs and smiled nervously.

'What are you doing here?'

He reached forward to bring her into a quick hug. 'Is that any way to greet a friend?'

'I'm sorry. Did we agree that you would pick me up?' He laughed at the genuine confusion on her face.

'No, we didn't. But we're not going to the store.'

She raised an eyebrow and stepped back from him 'We aren't?'

He pulled the door open for her and allowed her to slip into the passenger seat, once inside he closed the door and hurried around the car to the driver side. Refusing to answer her questions, Abe turned the car away from the city limits. After twenty minutes of silence Abe flicked on the radio, the Bay City Rollers began to hum in the background. In the back seat, from under the blanket that coated the seats Henry sat up.

'Abe, really?'

Jo jumped and spun around quickly to face the new occupant of the car. 'Henry!' She held a hand to her heart and he grinned roguishly. 'You scared the crap outta me. What are you doing back there?!'

'Apologies Jo, Abe was insistent that I remained covert until we were some distance away from your street.' Her wide eyes took him in and he boldly held her gaze with his. Cheeks burning, she pulled her eyes away and turned around to face forward.

'Is someone going to tell me where the hell we are going?'

Henry and Abe shared a smile, each shaking their heads. She sighed and rolled her eyes, resting her head against the window and watching the scenery rolling by.

It was almost two hours later before they stopped, far away from the city, at Harriman State Park. She looked to Abe, utterly confused now. 'This is where we are going?'

Abe shook his head. 'No, this is where we are.' He smiled and got out of the car, Henry was already out and opening the trunk. She followed slowly, pulling her coat around her a little tighter. The trunk closed and Abe and Henry appeared at her side, Abe carrying a blanket, and Henry what looked suspiciously like a picnic basket. She crossed her arms giving them both a bemused look.

'Ok, what is this?'

Abe looked at Henry innocently. 'Did you say you would join us for lunch?'

'Yes but…'

Henry smiled. 'We didn't specify where that lunch might take place.' She smiled in disbelief. 'You seem concerned about me being seen in New York, so we thought that this might be an ideal location.'

She held her arms out and spun around. 'Here? In the middle of nowhere?'

Henry smiled and leaned into her ear 'Hardly the middle of nowhere Detective. I have been to far more remote places than this.'

She smiled and nudged his arm, conceding that he probably had in fact been to the far reaches of the planet.

Abe had started to trudge ahead of them into the trees and turned back to holler them to hurry up. 'Are you two going to dawdle all day? Come on.'

They shared a smile before starting their walk to catch up with Abe, shoulders brushing. They walked for a couple of hundred yards before coming to a clearing in the trees, as they approached, what Jo saw took her breath away. Henry leaned down and whispered into her ear. 'Lake Kanawauke.' Before she could meet his eyes however he was gone, Abe spreading the blanket on the ground and Henry depositing the basket on a rock and opening it to start unloading the feast.

Watching them both, Jo felt like she finally belonged again. She was a stranger in their lives really, but they never made her feel it, they had both embraced her fully, taking her under their wing and making her a part of their family. It was nice, nice to belong, nice to feel… well, loved.

Henry stopped what he was doing and smiled at her in question. 'Detective?'

She smirked and made her way to the blanket before taking a seat. 'Not on the weekends Henry… well unless there is a body of course.'

Abe lowered himself stiffly next to her and took the plates from Henry as he passed them down. 'Pops used to bring me fishing here as a kid. You should feel privileged, this was a boys' only location.' Abe raised an eyebrow at the significance of her being here and she dropped her eyes to her hands quickly.

Henry sat down, bringing the rest of the plates with him. 'What Abe really means to say is that, his mother wasn't particularly fond of fish guts.'

Abe laughed heartily and Jo couldn't help but join in. Looking at the spread in front of her she was impressed, they had certainly brought enough food to feed half of the precinct, they might need to roll her back to the car. Abe loaded a plate for her, avoiding the Olives, something he had learned from his Friday nights with her and she smiled appreciatively as she took it from him. Henry and Abe loaded their plates and the group fell into a companionable silence as they ate and took in the view of the lake. It really was beautiful, and Jo was content, feeling eyes on her she turned her own to Henry who it appeared, for all intent and purposes, was staring at her openly. Her cheeks burned when she realised that he wasn't at all perturbed by her catching him. Abe on the other hand coughed uncomfortably and pushed himself to his feet, taking his plate with him.

'I'll uh… I think I'll cast a line.'

Henry, still not tearing his gaze from his partner nodded. 'Ok Abe.'

Unable to match his stare any longer, Jo tore her eyes away from him and forced an embarrassed smile for the older man. Henry pushed himself onto his knees and turned on the blanket until he was sitting side by side with Jo, they watched Abe grab a rod from the ground and traipse down to the water's edge, Jo belatedly realising that she hadn't even noticed him carrying a rod earlier.

'It's beautiful here.'

Henry smiled and nodded. 'It is.'

She swallowed thickly as she watched Abe cast his first line. 'Do you worry… about what you will do once Abe..' Henry drew in a sharp breath and she turned to meet his eyes quickly. 'I'm sorry Henry, that was incredibly insensitive of me.. I…'

His hand on her arm stilled her and he forced an uncomfortable smile. 'It's okay. And to answer your question, yes. Yes I do.' Placing his plate onto the blanket in front of him he rubbed a hand over his face. 'I've had a lifetime with Abe, much longer than most people get with a family member.. but the idea of losing him, yes it scares me.'

'Because you will be alone.' It wasn't a question.

Meeting her eyes again, he nodded slowly. 'Because I'll be alone.'

She was caught in that gaze, his eyes warm and sad all at once and her head was full of him. 'You won't be alone Henry.'

He smirked sadly at her. 'At one point or another, I will find myself alone. Until I find a way to rid myself of this curse, I will have to watch those that I love the most grow old and die without me. No one should have to live forever.'

She let out a breath and turned her eyes back to his son. A few more moments of silence passed before she leaned back, supporting herself with her arms behind her. 'I've thought about your little death problem…'

'My little death problem?'

'Yeah… the precinct? Lucas? I think I have thought of a way to get around it.'

Henry turned his body to her, legs crossed and brushing hers. 'Now this has me intrigued.'

'The District Attorney in DC has just successfully prosecuted a very high profile Mafia boss. He was tried on twenty six counts of murder and fifteen counts of manslaughter.'

'Yes?' His face showed his confusion clearly.

'A witness in the case was found murdered last year, the FBI had been holding her in a safe house which was ambushed, two FBI agents were also murdered.'

'I'm not sure that I am following where you are going with this?'

'We tell everyone that you were a medical expert used in the prosecutor's case, because it was high profile and due to concerns for your safety you were put into the witness protection program to ensure that the prosecution was successful?'

'Ah….. I'm impressed Jo.' His admiration suddenly turned to a look of guilt.

'Henry?'

Sighing he closed his eyes. 'I just… you are an honest woman Jo, I just… I feel that you shouldn't have to lie for me. Perhaps it would be best for everyone involved if I stayed dead, if I moved away and started again.'

'No!' Her proclamation came out quickly and he opened his eyes to meet hers in surprise at the conviction in it. 'No Henry. I cannot go back to pretending that you are dead…. Besides, I would still be lying to my friends if I pretended that you weren't alive. If I have to lie to my friends, I would rather at least have some benefit come from it.'

'Benefit?'

'Yes Henry… having you in my life? I see that as a benefit.'

He smiled, touched by her words and the feeling behind them. Clearing his throat he turned his eyes back to Abe. 'Do you think that our friends will believe that story?'

'There is no way for them to find out whether it is or is not true. In witness protection, your whereabouts and any details of your recruitment would be completely hidden and impossible to find out.' She sat forward and clasped her hands in her lap. 'The more outrageous the story, the more believable it will be.'

'Okay.'

'We can discuss the details, get our story straight…. I have no control over you getting your job back though'

'I just want you to know, that I am incredibly grateful to have you in my life Jo Martinez. Thank you.'

He kept his eyes trained on his son, but his hand snuck onto her lap and his fingers slipped into her hand. She looked down at their hands in her lap and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She didn't feel the need to say anything back, simply squeezed his fingers back and stared out at the open lake.

Abe joined them on the blanket again a short while later, nothing was biting apparently. The men bantered about Abe's lack of proficiency for fishing and it made Jo's heart warm just watching them interact. She didn't know if her plan would fool their friends, but then she'd never had to explain a resurrection before. They'd have to believe them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The day had grown colder and the party decided to return to the city a couple of hours later. Jo had fallen asleep against the window of the passenger side and was surprised to be woken by Henry's hand on her shoulder and his soft voice telling her that they were home, only when she opened her eyes, home was Abe's Antique Store.

She stretched lightly and smiled in apology. 'Was I snoring?'

Henry smirked. 'Only a little.'

Rolling her eyes she opened the door and slid out of the car, her neck sore from the awkward sleeping position. Abe had already turned the lights of the store on and was depositing the blanket onto a chair. Henry followed Jo in, the basket hanging from his arm. He locked the door and turned the lights off as they ascended the stairs to the loft above.

Abe made his excuses and opted for an early night, too much time in the sun and behind the wheel cited as the reason for his tiredness. Henry took the basket to the kitchen to unload the contents and switch the kettle on whilst Jo flopped onto the sofa.

When Henry finally came back into the room Jo was wincing and attempting to massage the crick out of her neck, he frowned and placed the mugs onto the table before taking a seat beside her, his body turned towards her. 'Allow me?'

Jo looked at Henry uncomfortably, the tension rising. He smiled nervously, realising that physical contact was not something that they often engaged in, and with tensions high between them already, every touch was charged. Reluctantly though, she nodded and he almost smiled in relief. Turning her back to him on the sofa, she allowed him to sweep her hair over her shoulder. He pulled her shirt collar backwards to open the area to his touch. The first gentle contact of his hands and she could feel heat coursing through her from the point of contact to her fingertips.

His hands were confident and firm on her shoulders, his thumbs and fingers working her muscles and loosening the aches and knots in her neck. Despite every nerve ending being alert due to his proximity, his fingers were working wonders and she couldn't help her head from lolling forward. He chuckled and scooted closer to her back to allow himself better access to her neck. She stiffened slightly when she felt his legs against her back, his upper body radiating heat against her upper back. He stopped for a second, unsure if she wished for him to continue, but when she didn't voice her objection he took up the task again. He allowed his eyes to roam the expanse of her neck and tops of her shoulders that were bared to him, he could tell that she was affected by his touch, he was affected by their proximity and when she moaned in appreciation he was undone. With a gentle pressure on her shoulders he easily guided her back against his chest, she stilled against him her head turned slightly towards him, he allowed one hand to rest on her upper arm, the other sliding around her shoulder and to her neck. Leaning down he allowed his lips to brush across the back of her shoulder, a tremor running through her at his touch. Emboldened by her lack of objection, he allowed his lips to press lightly to her neck. When her head rolled to the side to allow him better access, his resolve broke and with his lips grazing her ear he whispered her name hotly. 'Tell me to stop Jo.'

Her hand snuck up behind her, resting behind his head and brought his lips to her own as she craned her head around to meet them. Soon she was allowing her entire body to turn around and press against him, his hands in her hair, their desperate kisses warm and electric. She knew that they were beyond the point of stopping this, her head was heavy and drugged and from the dark look in Henry's eyes when they pulled away for air, he wasn't faring any better than she was.

She needed more, he had started something here and she was going to make sure he damned well finished it. Grasping his hand in hers gently she stood and tugged on it, his eyes never left hers as he pushed himself to his feet. His hands automatically moved to her waist, his long fingers grasping the material of her shirt as he brought her lips to his again. Resting his head against hers he searched her eyes before reaching behind him to flick off the light and lead her down the hallway to the bedroom.

In the darkened room, the only light came through the blinds from the streetlights below. They stood inches apart, eyes never wavering. Jo's hands went to the top button of her shirt, but a minute shake of his head had her hands stop their course, instead he removed her hands and replaced them with his own, his fingers deftly unbuttoning her shirt as his lips caressed a spot behind her ear. She wasn't sure how her legs were still managing to hold her up but the concern was erased when she felt herself being lifted into Henry's arms. She gasped in surprise and he took the opportunity to catch her lips with his own before lowering them both onto the bed. Opening both sides of her shirt he looked down at her before staring down at her, expression entirely serious. 'You are beautiful. Even more so than I imagined.' Smirking she raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned devilishly. 'Oh yes Jo…. I have imagined.' His voice was low, rough and assured.

Using the front of his shirt she tugged his lips back to her own, allowing her own hands to explore the planes of his body through his clothes. It didn't take them much longer to lose the remainder of their clothing and move beneath the sheets. Their bodies moving together in a rhythm only known to them. Henry Morgan had apparently used his life well, he may be an old fashioned immortal, but he was not shy and retiring when it came to the bedroom and he had clearly taken the time to practice. She was certain though, that no matter how much time the man above her had to practice, there was definitely a thing or two that she could teach him. Smiling against his lips, she clenched his thighs between her own and spun them quickly until she was towering above him, he chuckled in appreciation and she grinned at him before lowering her lips to his again. Oh yes, Henry Morgan would learn a thing or two this evening.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

 **Sorry for the delay guys. I've had so much on with work and life in general. I hope you enjoy! Review review review…. I promise I will make it worth your while in my next chapter**


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